AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge: Mad River Glen

[teachski]

Hey Josh, after reading your questions, I had no other questions to add. You were very thourough and I couldn't think of any you missed.

 

[Greg]

Eric's responses are in:

http://skiing.alpinezone.com/articles/challenge/response.htm?resort=madriver

This thread is embedded in the page to allow for comments on his responses. I think he did a great job and was very complete with his answers. Thanks Eric!

 

[jimme]

Dang! I missed this one. But, if Eric is up to just a few more. . .

Bumper sticker aside, I seem to remember the "slogan" "Ski It If You Can" from my youth (10 - 12yrs old) in the late sixties. How long has that slogan been used?

Has there been or are there any talks about replacing the single say, with a fixed double in the event the single can no longer be maintained?

Is there any truth to the rumors that on some busy weekends the wait for the single chair can be as long as 45 minutes?

Is there any kind of list of famous skiers and Telemarkers that have been to MRG? i.e. Doug Coombs, Kristen Ulmer, Dickie Hall, Stein Eriksen type ski celebs

Thanks,

Jimme

 

[Joshua B]

Well done Eric and Greg. I like the layout and the ability to respond to the board right underneath Eric's responses. I read through Eric's responses that he composed for the challenge, and I've got a lot more reading to do where he copied and pasted portions of some of his responses.

 

[Mr MRG]

Wow, I guess I'm really getting into this now!

I'll try to answer Jimme's follow ups:

How long has that slogan been used?

1984

Has there been or are there any talks about replacing the single say, with a fixed double in the event the single can no longer be maintained?

Yes, in fact the conversation is on-going, but don't hold your breath. My bet is it will be made to last as long as we can and then it will be replaced by another single when and if. We put $75,000 away each season into the single reserve fund so that we will be able to pay cash for the fix/replacement when we need to. This discussion is going on as a part of the overall long-term strategic planning process. Pretty cool though that the skiers will be the ones to decide what will happen as any character change to the mountain needs a 2/3 vote of the shareholders. So bottom line is that aint nothing going to change to drastically any time soon.

Is there any truth to the rumors that on some busy weekends the wait for the single chair can be as long as 45 minutes?

I think that skiers have become accustomed to shorter lift lines due to the plethora of high speeds out there. So when skiers tellyou it was a 45 minute lift line they are often exagerating. Typically on a mid-winter Saturday the single line is about 15 minutes. It can reach 30 minutes on busy weekends. 45 minute lines have happened, but it is VERY rare. That being said it rarely hits 10 minutes on any given Sunday and most midweek days there are no lines to speak of. Ski midweek, it's cheaper, and more civilized. Don't let those jobs get in your way!!!!

Is there any kind of list of famous skiers and Telemarkers that have been to MRG? i.e. Doug Coombs, Kristen Ulmer, Dickie Hall, Stein Eriksen type ski celebs

Oh yeah. We are Howard Dean's ski are of choice, Dylan Crossman (a former patroller now living in Utah) is the reigning (2 time) US Telemark Extreme Skiing Champion. Dick Hall, founder of the North American Telemark Organization (NATO), is a regular MRG skier. Then there are my 2 boys, Ben (age 6) and Eli (age 4) who are also legends in their own minds! But remember that the best skier at Mad River Glen is the one with the biggest smile!

[/quote]

 

[Joshua B]

But remember that the best skier at Mad River Glen is the one with the biggest smile!

Haha, nice one. If you haven't copyrighted that, you should. I'd like to see that on your next brochure.

 

[Greg]

Wow! A live response from Eric! 8) Welcome to the boards! Please stick around. It would be great to have another resort rep participating here.

 

[Mr MRG]

One more thing about who skis at MRG.

Very suprised there is so little intest of late to "the challenge". I was preparing to be lambasted! Probably due to people losing their interest in skiing as the temperatures get warmer. Folks shouId real;ize that this is the time of year when we in the industry are working on the plans for next year. If you want input on the upcoming season you should let it be known now. :idea:

I also forgot to mention a couple of other "famous folks" who ski MRG. Others on the list include; several members of the band Phish, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, folk legend Pete Seeger and Vermont's former lieutenant governor, Doug Racine .

Eric
:beer:

 

[Greg]

Re: One more thing about who skis at MRG.

If you want input on the upcoming season you should let it be known now. :idea:

Pretty bold, Eric...opening a potential floodgate for feedback like this. I actually applaud you for it though. It's great to have a resort representative that is open to ideas and suggestions. Obviously, MRG as a co-op is somewhat of an anomaly, and I wouldn't expect many of the corporate resorts or privately-owned ski areas to take this route. I do believe though that forums like this are valuable to all ski areas, especially as more and more folks are becoming accustomed and comfortable with the Internet and posting on message boards.

 

[jimme]

Wow, I guess I'm really getting into this now!

I'll try to answer Jimme's follow ups:

How long has that slogan been used?

1984

I was really hoping you'd say 1970 or earlier. A sure sign I'm getting old. . .confusing memories from my twenties with memories from my early teens.

I think that skiers have become accustomed to shorter lift lines due to the plethora of high speeds out there. So when skiers tellyou it was a 45 minute lift line they are often exagerating. Typically on a mid-winter Saturday the single line is about 15 minutes. It can reach 30 minutes on busy weekends. 45 minute lines have happened, but it is VERY rare. That being said it rarely hits 10 minutes on any given Sunday and most midweek days there are no lines to speak of. Ski midweek, it's cheaper, and more civilized. Don't let those jobs get in your way!!!!

I suspected it was a ploy to keep people away. :-? I could handle a 20min wait for The Single.

Oh yeah. We are Howard Dean's ski area of choice...

I read he got turned down when he brought his snowboard! :lol: Pete Segar...cool, didn't know he skis, he's no young buck now.


Thanks for the answers!

Jimme

 

[threecy]

Oh yeah. We are Howard Dean's ski area of choice...

Haha, for how many minutes?

 

[Mr MRG]

Howard Dean at MRG

The snowboard story is untrue. The previous owner of MRG sold that story to the press and they bought it hook line and sinker. As they say; Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Interestingly Howard (affectionatly known in VT as "HoHo" has been a faithful MRG skier for many years. He took a bit of a hiatus during his Governorship to ski around a little more. can't play favorites as governor!

Good to see some interest in this thread finally!
:beer:

 

[Greg]

Re: Howard Dean at MRG

Good to see some interest in this thread finally!

Actually Eric, I've received a lot of positive feedback on not only the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge, but your complete and well written responses. Thanks for participating and inviting more dialogue here.